FERC has issued favorable environmental reviews for three expansions proposed by Wyoming Interstate Co. Ltd (WIC), Gulfstream Natural Gas System and Texas Eastern Transmission LP (Tetco) to serve a number of growing gas markets in the United States, including Florida and New Jersey.

With appropriate mitigating measures, the three projects “would not constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment,” FERC staff said of the WIC, Gulfstream and Tetco expansions in separate environmental assessments.

WIC’s Lateral and Mainline Expansion Project calls for the construction of 123.7 miles of 24-inch diameter pipeline extending from a new interconnect in Uintah County, UT, in a northerly direction through Daggett County, UT, to a proposed interconnect in Sweetwater County, WY, as well as the installation of two compressor units at its existing Wamsutter Compressor Station [CP07-14].

WIC’s Kanda lateral and mainline expansion would provide significant additional takeaway capacity for Kerr-McGee Oil & Gas Corp., a major producer in the Uintah Basin. Kerr-McGee has entered into two separate long-term agreements for capacity on both projects — 400,000 Dth/d on the Kanda lateral and 137,000 Dth/d on the mainline expansion for the first two years and increasing to 150,000 Dth/d thereafter, WIC said.

WIC has asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to approve the project by May so it can go into service by January 2008.

Separately, Gulfstream’s Phase III expansion would extend the pipeline about 35 miles south from Martin County, FL, to Palm Beach County, where it would serve Florida Power & Light Co.’s (FPL) planned West County Energy Center (WCEC), a natural gas-fired, 2,400 MW power plant [CP00-006-014].

The 30-inch diameter pipeline would provide approximately 345,000 Dth/d to FPL’s proposed WCEC as early as July 1, 2008, according to Gulfstream, which is owned jointly by Williams and Spectra Energy. It said construction of the expanded pipeline facilities is scheduled to begin in January 2008.

Gulfstream said it has entered into a precedent agreement with FPL for the entire capacity of the project.

The Gulfstream system, which was placed into service in May 2002, is a 691-mile pipeline that originates near Mobile, AL, and crosses the Gulf of Mexico to come ashore in Florida. It transports about 1.1 Bcf/d of natural gas to markets in the Sunshine State.

The Texas Eastern Incremental Market Expansion II Project (TIME II) calls for the construction of a new pipeline loop in Ohio, abandonment and replacement of pipeline facilities in Ohio and Pennsylvania and the installation of new compression in Pennsylvania to provide up to 150,000 Dth/d of new transportation service to the New Jersey market area [CP06-115].

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